Tue, 20 Nov 2012
No5 Chambers and University of Birmingham’s Law School have entered into an agreement under which barristers from No5 will share their expertise with students at the university, delivering practical examples of parts of the curriculum.
The agreement, which comes under the purview of CEPLER, the Centre for Professional Legal Education and Research, will also see Members of Chambers – Silks and junior counsel – support the School’s pro bono activities and collaborate on research and writing for academic journals.
In partnership with No5 Chambers and Mills and Reeve LLP, the first CEPLER conference will take place at the University on Friday 23rd November. ‘Access to Justice in an Age of Austerity’ features keynote presentations from Mr Justice Ryder and Lord Bach and three specialist panel discussions, followed by a drinks reception to mark the official launch of the Centre for Professional Legal Education and Research.
Andrew Sanders, Head of Birmingham Law School, explains: “I am grateful to members of No5 Chambers who are voluntarily giving much of their time to participate in workshops and seminars and give lectures which will support our students’ understanding of the many dimensions of law. Each barrister will partner with an academic, with whom he or she will liaise to identify how the student experience can be enhanced by the injection of a professional’s perspective of a given area of the law. I am sure all our students studying law will appreciate the ‘real-world’ insight that No5’s legal experts can bring to bear on their education.”
Ian Dove QC, Deputy Head of No5 Chambers and a member of the Planning and Environment team, adds: “Members of No5 relish the opportunity of sharing their ‘court-room craft’ with the students. We look forward to guiding and helping students with our expertise and practical skills, via strategies such as workshops which will focus on core areas including advocacy. The University has also suggested that input from No5 Chambers’ barristers may influence the syllabus going forward. We believe that this would be a positive move as it would contribute to making the academic study of the law closer to its application in the courts.”
The catalyst for the agreement came about following a number of meetings and discussions between Andrew Sanders and Satnam Choongh, who is also a member of the Planning and Environment team at No5 Chambers. Members of No5 Chambers will also be involved in a number of research projects and seminars, including legal epidemiology in collaboration with Paul Bleasdale QC, a barrister with a particular interest in industrial disease litigation.
“The barristers at No5 Chambers have all been through stringent academic processes and we regard our association with Birmingham University Law School as an opportunity to ‘give something back’, contributing towards shaping the education of the lawyers of the future,” comments Paul Bleasdale QC, Head of No5 Chambers and Head of its Personal Injury team.
Tony McDaid, Practice Director of No5 Chambers, concludes: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with one of the UK’s most renowned universities and law schools. A number of our Queens Counsel and junior counsel have written books and papers on and contributed to the development of their areas of the law. This ability to express the knowledge and experience they have gained over the years they have practiced the law will doubtlessly be helpful when they deliver lectures to the students at University of Birmingham.
“It is our intention that some of the students may be offered internships as the relationship fostered by the agreement develops and we look forward to working with the University to furthering the reputation of Birmingham as a centre of legal excellence.”
Anyone wishing to know more about No5 Chambers should visit www.no5.com or telephone 0845 210 5555.
